It can be tough enough to get through the busy workweek relatively unscathed, only to head into a weekend that’s full of errands and hopefully a little fun. If you find time is short for cooking on the weekends, we’ve got you covered with some easy, healthy dinner recipes that can be ready in a flash.
Weekend cooking can feel like a bit of a chore, especially if the rest of your weekend is loaded with activities, too. We’re not here for complicated – there are plenty of easy meals that require very few ingredients and preparation time yet still fully deliver in the flavor department.
And with a little simple planning, you can have dinner on the table with almost no effort at all. Look below for our tips on weekend meal planning, the most straightforward kinds of meals to make, and a few of our favorite easy dinner recipes to make your weekend feel a little more breezy.
Source: Greatist
Contents
What makes a meal easy?
There are plenty of easy meals out there that you can get together with just a little time.
If you’re looking for a quick and easy dinner recipe, look for one that:
- Uses ingredients you already have on hand
- Requires ten ingredients or less
- Can be cooked with just a few tools, like a one-pot or one-pan meal
- Keeps well in the fridge for leftovers and freezes well
Meal Planning
Meal planning can seem daunting, but we promise it’s relatively easy to put a simple system in place if you do small planning ahead.
You can start by making a quick list of your simple go-to meals. Then, research some more that you’d like to try. Build a list or Pinterest board of easy go-to recipes that you can easily access during your weekly planning.
Then pick a convenient day of the week in which you have an hour of spare time. Build and write down your plan for the week, and make a grocery list for any ingredients you need. Head to the grocery store, grab your ingredients, and you’ll set yourself up for the entire week.
10-Ingredient Meals
Source: StyleCaster
Recipes with ten or fewer ingredients are not only easy to cook but usually cost less, too. Simplify your grocery list and meal preparation by trying these dishes below.
The Best 10-Ingredient Meals
- Enchilada casseroles
- Dijon pork chops with fresh tomato salad
- Stuffed poblano peppers
- French onion chicken with steamed broccoli
15-Minute Easy Meals
Source: Cool Material
Any meal you can whip up in 15 minutes is a win on the busiest weekend, or for nights you simply don’t feel like cooking and you can always try to make in double quantities for your next meal or next day.
The Best 15-Minute Meals
- Gazpacho sauce spaghetti
- Chorizo and red pepper frittata
- Pesto-crusted salmon with green beans
- Vegan thai green curry
- Grilled chicken and chimichurri salad
One-Pot Meals
Source: Boston Magazine
We love the ease of cooking a one-pot meal, and the best part – very few dishes to wash afterward.
You can use many tools for one-dish meals, like a cast-iron pot, slow-cooker, sheet pan, Dutch oven, or pressure cooker – there are many great options! We suggest investing in a versatile cast-iron pot or pan because it can go both in the oven and on the stovetop to give you more one-pot cooking options.
We use our cast-iron tagine pot (example here), all the time to make moist stewed meat and veggies or perfectly steamed rice.
The Best One-Pot Meals
- Chili con carne
- Chicken cacciatore with orzo
- Chicken alfredo tortellini
- Spaghetti bolognese
- Vegetarian pumpkin gnocchi
- Eggplant Tagine : which I added the recipe as example
Source: Just a Taste
Ingredients
- 3 large eggplants, chopped
- 1 large red onion, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 sticks of celery, chopped
- 1 tsp of cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp of turmeric
- 1 tsp of cinnamon powder
- 1 can of stewed tomatoes
- 1 can of chickpeas (do not drain)
- 10 apricots, chopped
- 1 cube of vegetable stock
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups of couscous
- 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp of natural yogurt
Directions
- Drizzle 1 tbsp of oil in the tagine pot and place over medium heat on your stovetop.
- When the pot is warm, add your chopped celery, onion, and garlic. Saute together for 5 min.
- Add your eggplant and all the spices to the tagine pot. Cook for 10 min over medium heat, stirring slowly.
- Pour in the tomatoes, can of chickpeas, stock cube, and the chopped apricots.
- Continue stirring until the mixture is combined thoroughly, and the stock cube has completely dissolved.
- Add a dash of salt and pepper, and allow the ingredients to simmer covered in the tagine pot for one hour.*
- Measure out the couscous into a separate bowl, and follow the directions on the box to cook. Set aside.
- Stir in some butter and squeeze over your lemon for more taste.
- Serve your eggplant tagine with the couscous and some natural yogurt!
Source: Delish.com
Final note: Great-Tasting Quick Dinner Recipes
Cooking weekend dinners shouldn’t feel like a chore. Plan out your meals all week and grocery shop when you have a bit of spare time to avoid feeling rushed when it’s getting close to dinner time, and you still don’t know what to cook.
Planning will also cut down on any extra trips to the grocery store for a missing ingredient, which is just about the last thing I want to do before cooking dinner.
Make cooking a little easier by choosing the simplest recipes that:
- Need less than ten ingredients;
- Take 15 minutes to cook from start to finish;
- And can be cooked up all in one pot, pan, or slow-cooker.
We hope you’ll feel less stressed about weekend cooking and enjoy some tasty, simple dinners with a little planning.
